Swansea City vs. Manchester City: Score, Reaction from EFL Cup 3rd-Round Match

Swansea City didn't make things easy on Manchester City on Wednesday, but the Citizens booked their spot in the fourth round of the English Football League Cup with a 2-1 win in Wales.

The hosts were the better team during the first half but conceded early in the second as Gael Clichy finished off a wonderful passing move. Aleix Garcia doubled the lead midway through the second half, all but securing the win. 

Gylfi Sigurdsson pulled one back for Swansea late, but there wasn't enough time for a second goal.

As the club's official Twitter account shared, Vincent Kompany made his first start under new City manager Pep Guardiola, while Leroy Sane also earned a spot in the starting XI:

Swansea started the match on the front foot against City's young squad, dominating possession and pushing forward. Borja Baston nearly found a gap in the defence off a searching pass from Mike van der Hoorn, but the forward controlled the ball with his arm.

Kompany almost put his goalkeeper in trouble with a back pass that was a little short, but other than that, City's defence was solid early. Goalkeeper Willy Caballero did have his issues, however, looking shaky with just about every touch.

Goal.com's Sam Lee noticed the stopper didn't seem in sync, but he wasn't the only one:

Pablo Zabaleta found Angelino with an excellent cross to set up City's first chance of the match, but the midfielder fired his shot wide. On the other side of the pitch, Caballero redeemed himself with a great stop to deny Baston after setting up the chance himself with a dreadful pass.

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City improved as the half wore on, although the Swans remained the better team, and Sane came close to opening his tally after a clever turn. Kompany was a major factor in defence, and a last-ditch slide on Neil Taylor ensured the full-back couldn't reach Baston with a cross.

The hosts got lucky after 35 minutes, when a surging run by Sane resulted in a dangerous cross toward Kelechi Iheanacho, with Van der Hoorn accidentally deviating the ball into the arms of goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt. Lee thought it should have been a goal:

The Citizens ended the half well, with Fernando finding Sane, but Nordfeldt easily gathered his volley. Jesus Navas also put the Swansea stopper to work before the half came to an end.

City found the breakthrough early in the second half. Clichy was left unmarked on the edge of the box, and his shot took a major deflection before finding the net.

The Telegraph couldn't get over the visitors' kits, however:

Swansea were shocked by the setback but quickly tried to bounce back, again taking control of the ball. Leroy Fer made his way onto the pitch, but Guardiola responded by introducing Kevin De Bruyne.

Wayne Routledge was called back for offside after wandering into a dangerous position, and both Iheanacho and Garcia failed to convert after another swift counter.

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The Citizens almost gifted Swansea the equaliser as John Stones took a dreadful touch that allowed Sigurdsson through on goal. The Iceland international fired a shot at Caballero, and Routledge slipped just as he was ready to fire home the rebound.

Just as Swansea appeared to be on their way back, Garcia made it 2-0, tucking away a fine cross from Navas.

Per LaLiga blogger Rafael Hernandez, it was his first for City's senior team:

Baston fired a shot over the bar shortly after, and Sane almost picked out De Bruyne after receiving a delightful pass from Kompany, with Nordfeldt intervening just in time. Fer had a header blocked, but major chances were rare for the hosts.

The official allowed an unusually large amount of injury time, however, and Sigurdsson managed to pull one back for Swansea. The hosts rushed back to their own half in desperation, but their luck didn't result in a second goal. 

Kompany left the pitch late and headed straight down the tunnel, an ill omen, and Guardiola confirmed after the match the skipper suffered an injury, per Lee:

City and Swansea will meet again in Wales on Saturday, this time in a Premier League fixture.